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"Today's homeowner is able to create the full outdoor experience throughout their outdoor living area, complete with lighting, audio, and fans and heaters for temperature control," Reindl said. "They just need to plan in advance so they can put in the correct size transformer, which is the backbone of any system. After that, they can implement their plan gradually.

"You don't want to become pigeonholed in what you can do because you didn't install a big enough transformer in the first place," he said.

Reindl and Jensen agreed that with the correct lighting and controls, homeowners can bring the indoors outside, making it cozy and aesthetically-pleasing so that people want to go outside.

"With planning, you can gradually upgrade from those outdoor security lights that wash the whole yard with light, to landscape lighting, deck or patio lighting, pathway lighting, architectural lighting, focal-point lighting and even decorative lighting with chandeliers and grounded lamps made for the outdoors," Reindl said.

"It is a shame to only use your beautiful outdoor space during the day," he said. "With the correct lighting, you can entertain with the same beautiful ambience at night."

Special lighting is now also available to illuminate grills, pools and outdoor kitchens. NorthWest Lighting and Accents can even illuminate the insides of drawers in outdoor kitchens to facilitate finding stored items at night. It offers backlit countertops, which add to aesthetics and usability of those popular outdoor cooking spaces.

"We can make the entire countertop glow if that is what the homeowner wants," Reindl said.

Sound systems for the yard have also progressed. Not only has their clarity and sound quality improved, but they are now harder to spot in a yard and the technology has improved so that the music is directed back toward the house instead of out into the neighborhood, making those living nearby much less likely to complain, Jensen said.

"Some systems are attached to the bottom of an outdoor fan that is mounted on an overhang or pergola," she said. "Others use small satellite speakers hidden in the landscaping and subwoofers that are buried so that the ground can be used as a resonator.

"They give incredible, directional sound that really cuts down on noise pollution. You can even zone them for different audio levels so that it can be loud by the pool, but quieter in the dining area, allowing for conversation," Jensen said. "Most can also be hooked into an iPad or iPhone so that you are playing your preferred music and there are many apps that allow you to control the system remotely."

The use of oscillating fans and heaters to control the outdoor environment has also evolved. Fans move the air on sweltering days and nights and also tend to drive away pesky bugs, because they avoid air currents, Jensen said.

The increased use of LED lighting also cuts down on insect invasions because they generate less heat than conventional lights and bugs are drawn to heat, Reindl said.

Homeowners who like to cook outdoors, even in the middle of winter, can also invest in sub-patio heating elements that keep the grilling area (or driveway or walkways) free of snow, Jensen said, extending the useful life of their patio each year.

NorthWest Lighting and Accents is a family-owned business that has operated in Mount Prospect since 1956. Its 16,000 square foot, two-story lighting showroom features all of the newest offerings from the most popular manufacturers, as well as from boutique suppliers not found elsewhere.

They also have designers on staff who will offer homeowners suggestions and will even make house calls to evaluate a particular property's needs.

NorthWest Lighting and Accents has two locations: at 600 E. Rand Rd, Mount Prospect and at 2414 West Route 120, McHenry. For more information, call (847) 255-3700 or (815) 363-1800, or visit www.northwestelectricalsupply.com.

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